In an Echo Park home, four friends gather around a fist-sized clay pot steaming with a rare vintage of pu'er - an aged tea from southern China whose most exotic variations sell for $1,500 a pound or more. They delicately pour the amber brew into tiny tasting cups. Then, holding the porcelain cups with just two fingers, they take in the fragrance. Finally, they sip, gingerly. The verdict is unanimous. "It's kind of got that dirty bandage taste," Louise Yang says. Her husband, Will Yardley, is more diplomatic.

There's more to a state Re "A win-win strategy at the U.N.," Opinion, Sept. 30 Barbara F. Walter and Andrew Kydd hail President Mahmoud Abbas' move to place Palestinian statehood on the international agenda. However, this is a case of "been there, done that. " Yasser Arafat, the former leader of the Palestinian cause, issued a "declaration of independence" in 1988. The Palestinian state was recognized by more than 100 countries. A state exists only insofar as it is recognized by others; Palestine meets this and other standards of statehood.

Dear SOS : My husband and I just returned from a trip to Israel to attend the wedding of one of his former students. We stayed at the beautiful Mount Zion hotel in Jerusalem , which served an incredible Israeli breakfast. In addition to a wide array of delicious salads, they offered a hot cheesecake dish. The hot cheesecake was amazing: light, soufflé-like, not overly sweet. A perfect breakfast dish! We're still dreaming about that dish and would love to have the recipe. Nadine Steinberg San Clemente Dear Nadine: A crustless cheesecake, Mount Zion's version of this classic is rich, lightly tart and not too sweet, with a light hint of orange.

The recipes included here are written for only one portion in order to demonstrate technique and timing. You can cook as many as six pieces quite easily in the same size water bath without too much trouble if you'll check to make sure the temperature hasn't dropped too much (just add more hot water if it has). For cooking more pieces than that, you'll need to check the temperature frequently during the early going to maintain an even heat. Serve these meats with the accompaniments of your choice.

Update: Chris Ursitti, chief executive of GreenHouse Holdings, a global energy and ethanol company in San Diego, has sold a house he built on spec in Pacific Palisades. The seven-bedroom, 71/2-bathroom home came on the market at $9,495,000 in October and sold for $6 million. Adjoining Will Rogers State Park, the gated estate sits on nearly a half-acre with a swimming pool, spa and a rock waterfall with a grotto. Beyond the eco-friendly dry wall, green insulation and other sustainable materials, the home's environmental features include an on-demand hot water system that Ursitti designed.

Top House Democrats, including Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, are again calling for the Ethics Committee to investigate one of their own, this time following allegations of sexual misconduct by Oregon Rep. David Wu. The Oregonian newspaper reported last week that the daughter of a longtime Wu campaign donor called the congressman's office this spring and accused him of "an unwanted sexual encounter. " The newspaper said Wu, 56, acknowledged the incident, which occurred over Thanksgiving in Orange County, but said it was consensual.

Tofu with kimchi (Dubu kimchi) Total time: 40 minutes Servings: 4 Our recipes, your kitchen: If you try this or any other recipe from the L.A. Times Test Kitchen, we would like to know about it so we can showcase it on our food blog and occasionally in print. Upload pictures of the finished dish here. For the best flavor, use aged nappa napa cabbage ("baechu") kimchi that is at least a couple of weeks old. 1 18-ounce package medium-firm tofu Salt 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 onion, sliced 1/4 pound pork, cut into thin strips 1 tablespoon Korean chile paste (gochujang)

American Apparel's brand identity has always been closely linked to its provocative chief executive, Dov Charney. His unconventional, edgy persona helped fuel the Los Angeles clothing maker's swift rise up the retail ladder, turning what began as a gritty wholesale T-shirt operation into a hipster empire known for colorful cotton staples and overtly sexual advertisements, some photographed by Charney himself. But it has also repeatedly landed Charney in hot water, with former employees accusing the 42-year-old founder of crude remarks, a hostile work environment and a promiscuous lifestyle that includes having consensual sex with his employees, according to one of his former lawyers.